The new jobs will generate an additional $5.1 million in payroll added to an existing payroll of $1.3 million, according to Gov. John Kasich's office. The company will get a seven-year, 50 percent tax credit for new income taxes generated.

"The expansion really has to do with expanding our market," said Tony Ignagni, company co-founder and president. "We're just putting in place our plans to add staff to expand the manufacturing and commercialization of the device."

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Synapse Biomedical's NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing Stimulation System is a device that first helped patients dealing with spinal cord injuries, including the late actor Christopher Reeve. It helps patients breathe by stimulating the diaphragm, the muscle used in breathing.

Last fall the company gained approval by the Food and Drug Administration to use the device for people with ALS, the degenerative muscle disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Synapse Biomedical will expand to make more devices and raise market awareness among hospitals and healthcare providers.

The proposed expansion will add selling, general and administrative staff, along with operations and research and development personnel.

"We'll hopefully be adding jobs this year," Ignagni said.

The company has about 20 workers now, mostly in Oberlin.

Synapse Biomedical has grown with help of venture capital, but some investors want the company to move to more traditional hubs with other bio-technological researchers and manufacturers, Ignagni said.

The Job Creation Tax Credit was a major factor in Synapse's decision to expand in Ohio.

The tax credit requires the company to stay in Oberlin for at least 10 years. It also is a win-win by helping the company expand in Oberlin and avoid moving, potentially multiplying returns for investors, Ignagni said.

"We intend to stay in the area," he said.

Ignagni also credit staff at Team NEO and Team Lorain County, the business development organizations of Cuyahoga and Lorain counties, for their help in making the tax credit application to state officials. The tax credit moved from idea to application to approval in about 60 days, "working at the speed of business," he said.

The tax credit was approved by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority as one of 12 projects expected to create 841 jobs and retain 2,093 more around the state. The business projects are expected to invest more than $128 million and create approximately $42 million in new payroll, according to figures from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority.